If tattoos tend to fade within a single lifetime of a person. Imagine the wear and tear on a 1,200 year old mummy's tattoo.
An international team of researchers has used a laser to reveal tattoos on a Peruvian mummy for the first time. By using this technique Details will be given on January 13th. study Published in the journal P.S.Researchers have discovered a beautifully intricate design and (literally) shed light on the intricate tattooing of the ancient Chancay culture. The discovery reveals a higher level of artistic skill in medieval Peru. pre-Columbian than previously thought
Tattoos have existed as a form of artistic expression for over 5,000 years. The oldest example of the famous Otzi the Iceman.which died in the Alps between Austria and Italy around 3300 BCE. However, ancient soft tissue remains are rare. And the tattoo fades and bleeds with time. This is a condition that obviously worsens as the body decomposes after death. Archaeologists have therefore had little opportunity to study ancient art forms. On the occasion that occurs Researchers have used infrared photography in the past to analyze designs. This still fails to reveal the finer details of the tattoo, according to the study.
The latest team uses a technique called laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF), which uses a laser to reveal details within soft tissue. To study tattoos on Peruvian mummies Paleontologists have used LSF for many years to study dinosaur remains. Scientific alertBut this is the first time the technique has been used to analyze ancient tattoos on mummified human remains. And the results were amazing.
“Basically. We turn skin into a light bulb,” said Thomas G. Kay of the Arizona-based nonprofit Foundation for the Advancement of Science. who participated in this study Said according to the report of Related news agencies– In other words Researchers use laser to make tattoo-free skin glow This is very different from tattooed skin. It even reveals subtle ink designs that are invisible to the naked eye.
Researchers, including scientists from the José Faustino Sánchez Carrión National University in Peru, studied more than 100 approximately 1,200 year old mummified human remains from the Chancay culture. The Chancay were a pre-Columbian people who lived along the central coast of modern Peru during the Around 900 AD to 1533 AD, according to studies, textiles are now accepted. They were eventually absorbed into the Inca empire.
Although most of the tattoos on the Chancay mummy were “amorphous slabs with unclear edges,” some designs had lines between 0.0039 and 0.0079 inches (0.1 and 0.2 millimeters) thick, the researchers wrote in the study. These details It reflects the fact that each ink spot was deliberately placed by hand with great skill. This creates a variety of beautiful geometric shapes and zoomomorphic patterns,” they added. “We can assume that the technique involves a pointed object finer than a standard #12 modern tattoo needle, possibly a single cactus needle or a sharp animal bone. using materials known to the artist”
The researchers then compared the tattoo designs to other Chancay material cultures, including pottery, textiles and rock art. and consider that such tattoos are It is considered the “most complex art” of any culture found to date.
“The study thus reveals a higher level of artistic sophistication in pre-Columbian Peru than previously appreciated. This expands the level of artistic development found in South America at this time,” the researchers explain.
Perhaps the first successful use of LSF to study tattoos on mummies could lead to the discovery of more ancient designs that would give modern tattoos a run for their money.